Published • loading... • Updated
UK agrees to talks addressing 'historical harms' of slavery - but PM rules out reparations
The agreement opens a structured dialogue on slavery’s historical harms and includes a £40 million Caribbean infrastructure package, officials said.
- At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, the United Kingdom agreed to engage in "structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith" dialogue addressing the "historical harms" of the transatlantic slave trade.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged a "new approach" for the Commonwealth, seeking to avoid the "verbal punch-up" of prior summits where Downing Street resisted calls for an apology.
- While ruling out direct financial reparations, the government will allocate £40 million over three years to accelerate critical infrastructure investment, including green energy projects across the Caribbean.
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch opposed the apology, arguing it acts as a "lever" to demand cash, while the King expressed "sincere sorrow" regarding slavery's legacy.
- With the United Kingdom hosting the G20 leaders' summit in Manchester next November, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband signaled the government might reach the point of a formal apology.
Insights by Ground AI
9 Articles
9 Articles
UK agrees to talks addressing 'historical harms' of slavery - but PM rules out reparations
It comes after Andy Burnham said Britain was "open" to making a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade - but insisted he has "been very clear that we do not support reparations".
·United Kingdom
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources9
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution71% Center
Bias Distribution
- 71% of the sources are Center
71% Center
L 29%
C 71%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
